Before Dawn Breaks
by Kanzii
Summary: Before Dawn Breaks is an A/U Fanfiction revolving around Darren Shan's award winning series, Cirque Du Freak. Young Makenzi, an orphan for nearly her entire life, and a gifted wolf-whisperer, catches Larten Crepsley's attention, when the old vampire was making his way back to the Cirque Du Freak shortly after blooding young Darren Shan.


Her thick red pelt flowed in the evening wind, her paws touching the ground without a sound. Her ears perked, waiting, always waiting. Her tail, a dark red tipped with a gray-white wagged slowly, swishing in the cool breeze that kicked up the leaves at her feet.

"Forward," I commanded simply. She took off, her tail low now, her eyes narrow, fur slightly raised. Her pace quickened as she felt me following close behind.

"Left," I said in one quick, yip like tone. She obeyed, following my lead now, her body slow, her eyes invisible against the moonlight. "Attack." My final command.

The young she-wolf let out a short yap, as she and her pack moved in, surrounding the old buck. He stood no chance against the power, the organized force before him. The pack of 8 moved in in one fluid movement, leaving the buck defenseless as they sank in for the kill. In seconds, the large mammal was down, his weak efforts a waste against the powerful jaws around him.

"Retreat," I commanded once I no longer sensed the buck's heartbeat. The young she-wolf barked sharply, and the 7 others all looked up, their mouths covered with blood, their paws dripping. I pressed forward, examining their handwork.

"Good. Good," I said as I reached down and pat the smallest wolf, a jet black female, with a white streak on her forehead. She whined softly, and nudged her nose into my hand. "Easy. Come, let's get this home," I said softly.

"Halt," a voice came from behind. I turned, my hand instantly flying to the sharp knife that was fastened to my calf. I searched for the source of the voice, and gasps when I saw the man.

He towered over my short frame, his bright orange hair glowed in the moonlight. His red cloak flew behind him. I took a shaky step back, my heart racing. I sensed the pack flaking my every move. I couldn't call them off, I couldn't urge them forward. At that moment, I had no voice, no function. All I could do was stand motionless, my eyes wide.

"You have talent," the man said, his voice low, not threatening in any way.

"Years of practice," I whispered, my free hand slowly slipping around the chain collar worn by my alpha male. I knew him well enough to know that he was all too eager to rip into the stranger. He was a protector by nature, and did not take that job lightly.

"You seem to have more than just practice, you have a gift," he murmured.

"Maybe," was all I could say. I did not know this man, and had no intentions of sharing my life story with him.

"I think Hibernius would be interested. What more can you do?" the strange orange haired man asked, his eyes shining.

"Well, I used to perform with a circus, back a few years ago, but I never really put much thought into performing since landing myself here," I said truthfully. Up until a year ago, I had been traveling with the Ringling Brother's circus, being their very first wolf act, in all the years they've been around.

"Impressive. Care to show your skills?" the man asked.

"I don't know you, nor trust you, and I'll be honest, if I let go of my alpha's collar, he can and will attempt to kill you," I said with a soft laugh.

"My apologies, how rude of me. My name is Larten, I currently travel with the Cirque Du Freak," he said.

"The freak show?" I asked, excited. "I heard rumors that they were coming to town, but I never believed it, haven't they closed all the freak shows lately?" I asked.

"Generally, yes. However, the Cirque does not treat it's performers as freaks. It is more like a family," the man, Larten, mused. His voice was soft, tempting.

"I guess I can show you some of what I used to do," I said slowly. I knelt next to Scout, my alpha, and turned my hand, so he could see it.

"Scout, retreat," I commanded, though my voice was soft. He looked at me for a moment, then his hackles slumped, and he whined, giving in. "Good, good," I said softly.

I let out a soft whistle, and the pack of 8 formed a half circle around me. Slowly, I called the younger, smaller females forward. The pair wagged their tails eagerly, happy to finally be allowed to perform instead of hunt. Next, I moved the four bigger males back, leaving Scout and Foxin, my alpha male and female in the middle. This was the normal pattern, though up until my last week at Ringling, Clarice was my alpha female, but as an old wild wolf, she passed away shortly after my last show.

"Larten, I ask you make no sound. The slightest distraction could be disastrous," I said softly, as I took my hoodie off, leaving me dressed in a black skirt and faded black camisole. I stretched, and let my black and red hair fall to my waist.

Larten watched intently, his eyes watching my every move. I leaned forward, letting my hands touch the ground momentarily. To anyone watching, it seemed as if I was doing it just for kicks, but in reality, I was testing the ground, feeling for vibrations, and feeling for weak spots.

"One, two, four and eight," I called forward. The two smaller females walked forward, followed by Scout and the second biggest male. The two halves of the pack began moving in sync with one another, though the actions were reversed. Except for the two youngest, the entire pack had done this routine a number of times, and needed very little instruction. Verbal instructions were for the audience more than the wolves themselves, _they_ were able to read my intentions with little need of a voice command. As long as Foxin could understand me, the rest would follow.

"Forward," I barked, as I rolled into a flip, my hands landing softly on the dirt. The wolves barked one, sharp bark in unison, as the first group raced forward, before soaring over my head, just as I flipped into an airborne turn. I braced myself, as I let out a sharp whistle, calling the largest two males forward. They rolled over, their paws straight in the air. As I landed, one foot rested on one of both of their back paws, leaving me hanging between the two. I turned on my toes, careful to keep my weight even, as to not shatter their strong legs.

"Roll," I commanded Foxin, who let out a short yap, before racing forward, the remaining six wolves following. They rolled over themselves, letting their paws leave a picture in the soft dirt. I pushed off, my heels softly resting on the wolves back legs as I leaped into the sky. I caught hold of the branch above my head, and swung on it, letting my concentration settle on the six wolves, who were now moving into formation. They formed a complicated pyramid, alternating which direction each wolf faced. I gained momentum and let go of the branch. I let out a short yip, as my feet landed strongly on the shoulders of Foxin and her sister, Lunar, who were stacked on the top of the pyramid. I turned slowly, letting my feet adjust to their fur, as I bowed slowly, the wolves all following suit, despite being stacked.

"Finale," I commanded, and slowly, the wolves on the bottom began to step forward. Very slowly, as the weight on their shoulders was equal to their own weight, if not more. As we moved, I braced myself, readying to jump. 1...2...3...1...2...3...1...2..._JUMP_! I jumped from my perch, and landed gracefully on my hands, turning in time to watch Foxin and Lunar leap, landing gracefully, now leading the pack in a brilliant race, Scout and Timber – the second largest male – shortly behind. As they circled, their claws dug up the dirt, finishing the picture.

"Halt!" I barked, and the pack stopped as suddenly as they started. They all raised their heads to howl, before taking a bow.

I nodded at Larten, who had been watching so silently, I nearly forgot he was there. I saw his eyes widen, as he read the words clawed into the dirt. "_Forever young; forever free; long live the wolves; long live destiny_" I smiled at the wolves handy work. Normally, they were not able to claw the words clearly, this was definitely a huge step from their old tactics.

"That was...brilliant," Larten said slowly. "Artistic, yet mysterious. May I ask what your secret is?" he asked eagerly.

"Patience. The younger the wolf, the harder the act. The front two can barely hold any weight, and I've had to lose a lot in order for them to support me. It took years to train Scout to perform next to Timber, and it's impossible to ask Lunar to work with Fire or Chance," I explained. "You have to know the wolves, really know them, to get them to work. Except for Foxin. She's just a natural."

"Amazing," he murmured, clearly, at a lose for words. "You...You are definitely something special. I must ask, would you consider performing again?"

"I would, seeing them tonight, reminded me of why I stayed at the circus for so long – they love performing, it's in their blood."

"I must speak to Hibernius," Larten mused.

Something about this whole thing seemed off...as if there was more to his offer. Yet I didn't question it. Who would? He was offering me something I had given up for so long, and something I loved. Yet, I found myself wondering if I should really trust the strange man with orange hair. But in the time spent pondering, it was then, that I noticed the young boy, who watched from the shadows, his eyes wide with fright and admiration.

Something about the boy, made me answer with a simple...

"I'd be honored, if this Hibernius would take me."

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_AN::_ _Before Dawn Breaks is an A/U Fanfiction revolving around Darren Shan's award winning series, Cirque Du Freak. Young Makenzi, an orphan for nearly her entire life, and a gifted wolf-whisperer, catches Larten Crepsley's attention, when the old vampire was making his way back to the Cirque Du Freak shortly after blooding young Darren Shan. _

_Spans over all 12 books, before heading into an entirely new saga.  
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_FF 1 of the trilogy.  
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_Note - For all the Mary Sue haters, Makenzi is not the 'perfect character'. Like everyone, she has flaws, she has bad traits, and she has a past she's ashamed of. Before you write this fan fiction off, give it a chance. Think about how the real Darren Shan ended the saga, and keep that in mind while reading. ;)  
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_Though this is coming entirely from memory of the saga, a lot of the events are going to be mirrored differently.  
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_All credit for the saga goes to Darren Shan himself, I only take credit for the OCs. :)  
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_Happy Reading, and please, Review! I'm always looking for suggestions!  
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